Most people know Amy Campo from her killer run at the ADCC West Coast Trials, making her a sleeper pick to win the 60+kg bracket at the 2022 ADCC World Championships this weekend. But Campo has been a championship contender long before her breakout season in 2021-2022. 

Albeit quietly, in the last few years, Campo has challenged some of the toughest names in women’s jiu-jitsu, including fellow ADCC contenders, Kendall Reusing and Elisabeth Clay, and World Champions such as Ana Carolina Vieira and Gabrieli Pessanha.

If there had been signs of big things to come for Amy Campo, they start in her purple belt run at the IBJJF World Championship in 2018, where she narrowly lost to Maggie Grindatti after a strong campaign to the Medium-Heavy finals, and where she went toe for toe with Yara Soares in a breathless Open Class match. She culminated that same year by winning No-Gi Worlds at purple belt. 

Campo’s skills have only grown since her 2018 season, and her renown has grown as well. In the last ten months, Amy has gone from a relatively-anonymous competitor to a recognized name – and with good reason. Campo concluded 2021 with a runner-up finish against Kendall Reusing in ADCC East Coast Trials, losing by points in the last ninety seconds, and a double-gold run at IBJJF Worlds at brown belt, receiving her black belt thereafter.  

Campo has been dominant so far in her rookie black belt season. In April, she won the West Coast Trials, hitting notable submissions on longtime rival, Maggie Grindatti, and on up-and-comers such as Paige Ivette, the latter whose brown belt breakout year looks as promising as Campo’s own. In June, Campo became the first American female in over a decade to reach the Open Class finals at Black Belt Worlds, losing by referee decision to the seemingly-unstoppable, double grand slam-winning Gabi Pessanha.

Campo’s most noteworthy rival going into ADCC is Elisabeth Clay. Ever since their first major matchup at Pan Ams 2017 at Juvenile 2 Blue Belt, the two have faced off repeatedly through the ranks and at the top competitions in the sport. In the last few months alone, they’ve matched up twice; Campo took out Clay via 10-0 score in overtime in the semifinals of the 2022 ADCC West Coast Trials and by advantage (4-4, 2-1) in the gi in the Open Class finals of 2022 American Nationals. If they face again in the 60+kg bracket, we can expect a back-and-forth clash of Clay’s flexible guard and relentless submission attempts against Campo’s devastating top game.

Could Amy Campo challenge the similarly-unstoppable queen of ADCC, Gabi Garcia, in no-gi the way she challenged Gabi Pessanha in the gi? Who would win in a first-time matchup of Amy Campo and the similarly pressure-oriented, submission-hunting Rafaela Guedes? Will Campo run it back against Kendall Reusing in an ADCC final? Only time will tell, but we won’t have to wait much longer for some of the answers as brackets will be revealed this week on Friday, September 16.

No matter her draw, Campo’s crushing pressure game, smooth transitions from knee cuts to side and back control, occasional K-guard entries to the legs, and a full toolkit of wrestling and judo-style takedowns will make her a challenge to whomever she faces.